BEIJING, Feb. 21 -- The Ministry of Emergency Management on Wednesday activated a Level-IV emergency response to low temperatures, rain and snow in central China's Hunan Province.

The ministry also maintained a Level-IV emergency response that was activated on Tuesday in the provinces of Anhui, Henan, and Hubei.

Teams from the national commission for disaster prevention, reduction and relief continued to provide assistance and guidance in Henan, Anhui and Hubei in response to the latest bouts of rain and snow.

The ministry has also urged efforts to advance preparations for disaster relief and rescue work, as well as efforts to dispatch teams to provide timely on-site assistance. It has called on relevant parties to pay great attention to the possibility of secondary disasters.

China's meteorological departments have forecast that moderate to heavy snow will affect some areas of the Jiangsu, Anhui and Hunan provinces from Thursday to Friday.